Another Daze Lost

Damn. 
I seem to have missed a day.

I don't mean i missed posting, i mean pretty much the entire day. Apparently, it's not Tuesday any more, and it's nearly not Wednesday.

I'm blaming this guy...

(The government aren't the only ones putting up propaganda posters in my world.)

I'm digging through old piles of blog topics a fair bit lately. It's amazing how often i have no clue whether something was posted or not. I've prepped pages only to find i'd already done them before, and i've found things that i'd sworn were previously posted but there's no sign of them on the blog.

So, i'm inviting readers to participate in the sorting. If you recall a topic that was lost or left dangling, and you don't prefer to leave it that way, let me know. I've currently got 20-30 Terrabytes of old drives connected for data searching, so the time is right.

Now to catch some sleep before deciding on some comics for a morning post, or that second issue of Look magazine (featuring both Nudity and Death captured on film for a fine wholesome start to their long history) or some of those Un-Comics or ...

Yeah.
Sleep.

Jack by -3- (2020)

Kelly's Game

You may perhaps recall that last week i posted a pic of a dastardly looking group of Rejects (and another pic in the back room from a SuperHero Guidebook). I offered no explanations nor context for the images at that time. 

Yesterday, we saw some television promos from the world within which i've been dwelling. 

Both sets of pics come from the same place, and before we continue, let me toss in another pic - this one a Public Service poster featuring The Golden Lady, featured star of this week's Epic Super Battles episode; we didn't get a good look at her in the episode promo - 

And i'll let you in a little joke - that wasn't a Hello Kitty shirt Michiko was wearing in yesterday's promo for My Steel Ronin. Look closer... 

Yes, as usual, it's a twisted world when i'm in charge. 

After the recent system death, i managed to start noodling on a new game to keep myself from sinking into those dark, familiar depths. One very nice thing about starting on a new game is that last time i was learning the RPG Maker MV engine (and scores of plug-ins). Now i know what i want to do and have a much more organized approach.

But, you don't care about any of that under-the-hood stuff. On top of the hood, i've been building my cast and sets, and designing new tiles to create this world. 

Let's meet Kelly Friday -

Kelly is our hero, the Player Character in the game. She's a budding young superhero with great potential and a heavy heritage. Her mother and father were the premiere superhero couple on this world (not Earth, but they're from here) - you've seen her Mom, The Golden Lady. Her father is less defined as yet - think a mix of Captain America and Superman for cultural impact level. (I keep putting off working on his model due to indecision. Part of me wants to go Sky High and make him look like Kurt Russell, part is thinking more Chris Evans, and part is leaning toward Tyler Hoechlin for primary influence. We'll see...)

They're gone now - left this world when surprise circumstances required the Golden Lady to return to her Homeworld to assume the throne. So now Kelly is on her own since she wanted to stay on the only world she's ever known. As i said, she's got great potential - including potential power. But what her powers are...? Well, they usually manifest around this time of life. However she was born with one very special power - she is essentially unkillable. Very handy when faced with a steep learning curve.

What powers will she manifest? Well, that varies depending on circumstances, a bit of random chances, and how you do in your superhero training classes. Yes, there's a Registry and Licensing and a full Academy. So the early stages of the game are all about becoming a hero, and what path will you take?

As an example, Kelly will never manifest any mystical/magickal powers if she never studies and finds she has potential. (Even non-magic types often take the classes to prep for when facing magic wielding villains)

Kelly has a few close friends and mentors - old family connections to guide and help her make choices, and she'll make a few new friends (and likely enemies) among the other potential superhero candidates studying alongside her.

In addition to classes and labs, there's also on-the-job training while still trying to figure out both powers and identity. And so we have a variety of "Throw Away" heroes -

These are all intended for short use, often only once or twice, usually to teach a lesson (for further example, see that post in the back room). Obviously, only a few would be seen in each play-through of the game. After all, how many times do you have to learn "No Capes!"? This process is also how the player will choose and connect with their regular "Q" - the Bond kind, not the Picard kind. It's good to build close ties with the one who makes your costume and gear.

And, yes - both CheerKittyKitty and Super Skirt result from punchy late-night sessions with Moon and Teela or other friends.

And, yes, again - Kelly is rather massively endowed, especially for her age, as teased by the "Girl Power" outfit and several other characters in the game. Another heavy legacy from her Mother.

So, these are the sorts of things that keep my mind busy and help keep bits of it working. And keep it entertained.

I think there's a Pug Scouts marathon brewing...

stuff by -3- (2020)

Okay, Brain. We talked about what you wanted to think about. Now will you go prep that stack of pages waiting since last weekend? These folks are waiting for some Real American Dick! (Okay, that sounded bad. But regular readers might know what i mean)

The Future Knows

The sparsity of new posts has been due more to internal shutdown than anything else. The all-too-usual system death killed forward momentum on things and i seem to have been cruising to a stop. Lately doing little more than zoning out to a mental dial tone (do they still have those?) when not watching old episodes of WKRP In Cincinnati or Futurama.

And then Matt hits me with this one -

Well, damn.

Guess i should be trying to get things working again...

screen from Futurama S03E03, of course (ca. 3000)

Pacific Northwest Hermit Visual Reference

As you may have guessed, main system still down. Or down again, to be more accurate. It's gone through a couple fixes, and it seemed to be good - ran for a couple of hours doing everything from test renders to games and vids without any issus.

But 5 minutes after i tried to resume work, the system went dark again. The Universe really hates the idea of me producing new artwork. It's been doing a damn fine job of preventing it for the last few years.

New components will hopefully arrive in a week. In the meanwhile, i believe i'll be putting another system into service soon. My oldest son is currently on long haul trucking runs with his lovely lady, so his desktop box sits unused.

The question becomes, will my hardware curse transfer over if his system goes into service here? Oh, the suspense...

Meanwhile, the previous post on the History murdering villain Paul Termann to the contrary, i do prefer to include at least one image with every post. With that in mind, here's a bit of chicken scratching from a few years back - a fairly up-to-date and accurate visual guide to the Pacific Northwest Hermit Artist in the wild. 

Just in case you spot it wandering outside the cave...

chicken scratchings by -3- (2016)

Paul Termann - A Name That Should Live In Infamy

On December 13th of 1981, on the yacht Apollonia sailing in the Caribbean, two week's of sullen resentment came to a murderous peak. Paul Termann decided to hijack the yacht at gunpoint and declared that Herbert Klein, the owner, had 10 minutes to live. Klein attempted to rescue the party aboard the Apollonia, but only managed to wound Termann, who shot and killed Klein's girlfriend, Gabriele Humpert, and wounded a man named Munsch working on the boat. 
Termann then hunted down Klein and finally murdered him.
He was caught, sentenced to life imprisonment in 1982, but released 20 years later. If you want to know more about what happened, try reading Off The Deep End: A History Of Madness At Sea by Nic Compton. 
 
Not so much a "Live In Infamy" kind of guy - more like a villain from a Travis McGee novel. Likely to be forgotten over time as just another crazy asshole with a gun.

However, that was just his origin story. The birth and source of his True Villainy.

You see, Paul Termann is ashamed to be a convicted double-murderer, so he decided to murder history to hide his crimes. The German high court has ruled that he, and others like him, can force their crimes to be scrubbed from news and historic records so they won't be reminded of their shame.

They call it the Right To Be Forgotten.


Let's call it what it is - the Right To Edit History For Personal Convenience.

No wonder the UK wants out of the EU. They can hear George Orwell's anguished screams echoing through the ground. What was once considered Orwellian Nightmare is now a Personal Right in the EU. Not just governments, but any criminal can now erase the past.

In more normal times if a law was passed allowing criminals to hide their crimes, we'd point out the horrible possibility of murderers using it to cover up their crimes and hide their past from the potential victims around them. And, perhaps even more disturbingly, erase all memory of their victims in the process.

But that's where we're starting from these days.

So, how soon can we expect it to be used to cover up war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity carried out by governments and corporations?

Remember - in our twisted laws, corporations - entities founded to escape personal responsibility - are considered human beings, entitled to the same rights and protections. But, as noted, without being bound by all the same responsibilities. They already routinely get away with murder, now they're being handed a tool to wipe it from the public memory.

It's hard to decide if this ruling is epicly stupid or actively evil.

Either way, it certainly leaves me wondering what those who made the ruling must want erased from their pasts?

Or was it simply a matter of being bought by those who want to use the law?

Sorry - no joke today.

Just the joke that Paul Termann played on Truth.

And The Universe Laughed...

The mind and i have been reuniting lately. As you may have noticed, we posted 3 out of the last 4 days. And work has been going well on getting back towards some painting. Finally sorted out all the problems with the 3D model and render software and actually prepped for a painting. Today was get the graphics tablet and painting software re-installed day so we could maybe do some real artwork again.

Regular readers know what comes next...

The Universe seems to actively hate it when i get any artwork done. And so the system died. Or rather, it seems that the video card fried out. A burst of snow to the screen, and nothing.

The graphics card is, of course, the newest and most expensive piece of gear in the system. It costs more than half of what a new system would run. It's a massive beast with two huge fans that looks like a drone ready to lift off.
And, like most of what's made these days, it's a piece of crap. But, that's how we do it in this great land. Computer components used to be manufactured with rigorous quality controls and be built to last. They had to be, because they were still trying to build the market.
But, once everyone is using them and needs them, that gets tossed out. Make it quick, and plan for it to die soon so they'll need another one - the American Way of business, responsible for so much of what you hate about the world around you.

Joy.

So, yeah. Who knows how long i'll be down. Or how long the system will be down, for that matter. I might have an old card around that will work and get it up and running again within a day. It might be weeks. I don't even know where to go to get one these days, and experience precludes use of internet to order things like computer parts. Thanks, no - I don't need the wrong part shipped from China to arrive at the wrong location and MAYBE eventually be returned for the right part - but one that was previously returned by someone else due to problems with it... try again. 

I tend to be a nexus for system errors, even when the system isn't rigged for abuse.

So, maybe there'll be new post tomorrow.
Maybe there'll be new post next month.
Maybe next year.
We've seen before how this can play out around here.

Meanwhile - i like at least one pic in every post, but the only thing on this system right now is Smoker Warning Label for cigarettes and such that we should try.

This one might actually work -

Glow In The Dark

For those who might be wondering, i yet live.
The lack of posting is not due to any technical or connection issues, as have often been my bane. It's purely internal issues driving my mind deeper into the cave.

A nod of Thanks to the Mindbender for poking with a stick. Going to try to rope the brain and see if we can't drive it to one of the many posts awaiting.

In the meantime, i finally poked my head out to gaze around like some off-season gopher. On the local front, down the hill from the cave -

Congratulations to Spokane, Washington, for voting to embrace trump's America - choosing to support Fear, Hate, Evil, and Personal Greed, not to mention deciding to let Outside Money buy your future. I can't wait to hear the whining when you have to live with (and in) the results.

I'm confused about the big uproar regarding big name directors and such decrying the nature of Marvel movies. Why are people getting upset about a story you've seen a thousand times before?
"Old Guy Says We Did It Better In My Day"
Relax, folks. That's the nature of things.

By the way - there is some good coming out of the peripatetic mind's current meanderings. Things are finally getting set up again for a fresh batch of paintings in the near future. It's been far too long, so maybe we'll see some soon. Since it's nice to have a picture of some sort on the post... part of what it's been up to is building, or rather re-building, a few actors for future works. Eileen is the hero of that game i've been tinkering with, if one chooses the female character option. The male option is her brother Ben. Whichever one you choose, you automatically kill the other in the process - You Monster!
(Well, the backstory demands it)
Anyway, here's how the model for Eileen is looking currently:

I've currently been focused on face & body shaping - skin tones and textures will follow. She may seem familiar, likely having appeared in some artwork previously posted on this site, or in the back room. As i said, i've been rebuilding actors created previously in the old software.

And i've been zoning out for hours at a time, and catching old episodes of Bob. You remember that one, right? Bob Newhart as the artist who created Mad Dog is brought in for the modern comic revival and teamed up with a hotsnot trendy young writer back in the early '90s? It's the show that taught us just how very short Jim Lee is, especially when you stand him next to Mark Silvestri.
Oh, yeah - that episode also had Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragones, Mel Lazarus, Bob Kane...
So i'm sure you all remember that one, right?

Okay, i've rambled and proven that something in my shape is still here. Now maybe i can ride this beast into a post tomorrow. We'll see.

Oh, and, by the way again -
We did it better in my day.

Geezers gotta say what geezers gotta say.

I'll try to let you know if it makes me feel any better.

¡Sea Un Hombre! ¡Sea Como Blanco!

Okay, let's try this again...

Once upon a time, nearly a decade ago, there was a tale in the works called MASKS...

Our story takes place in a socially fragmented world where the one unifying cultural factor is that Everyone (human) wears a mask. (Face paint and tattoos are considered masks, as well)

When evil manifests, blocking the sun as a plague of walking (and hopping) dead rises up around the globe, the people panic, praying for the return of Blanco - the legendary Hero Luchador who saved the world from this before - but disappeared doing so.

A young Lucha wannabe, a Feminative exploring the world of men, a Taoist magic using Martial Opera performer, an animal spirit worshiping steampunk scientist, and an empire weary rogue armored soldier come together to take up the task. And perhaps discover the fate of Blanco, and his semi-mythical mentor, the Jade Sifu.

Blanco and Jade Sifu (Here in a Spirit Realm) have not been seen since the last time the world needed saving.

The first, most obvious, question regarding this tale is - What's with the Masks?

It began many years back, a reaction to government watchers and the perpetual camera society. Rebel movements began wearing masks in public at all times, often all wearing the same mask to help confuse the watchers. Masking spread as a concept, and in time, the masks became fashion, and then custom. Now it's the social norm, with highly individualized masks completely defeating the original purpose of the social movement.

So, where & when does this story take place?
Nope, that's one of "The Rules". The prologue, as you can see from the caption on the panels above, takes place "There & Then" The main story takes place "Here & Now"
No proper name locations for anything larger than individual buildings or complexes.
No proper dates, only relative time. (ie - ten years ago, three weeks from now, etc.,.)

That both made it easier for me, and removed or weakened some reaction triggers from the audience.

MehLani - a Totem - wearing her hand-carved totem mask, as always.

This one was the last big project i attempted to do. 
It was during the process of prepping things that i began to realize how badly things were breaking down internally. I prepared a fairly detailed and elaborate Treatment presentation for Masks, sent it out to some folks for feedback before going deeper into full script preparation. It was weeks later that i came to realize that i had completely omitted the other story - not even any reference to it.
You see, it was designed as two interlocked stories told from opposing viewpoints. In each, the opposition is only mentioned in vague and shadowy terms, acting as nothing more than a set of circumstances and obstacles in the other's tale.
So the treatment i had sent out was woefully incomplete with almost no direct enemy to the story, and huge parts just missing.

And only one person commented a couple months later about it.
That, too, led me to realize there was even more going wrong inside than i had perceived. At that point, Masks went off into the files and shadows.
 

As you've seen here, in the years since my ability to focus on a singular subject has deterioated further. So i may piddle around and play at building games at times, as i have lately, but with no expectation of it ever reaching a releasable state. I believe it's been just over 15 years since the last time i let one out into the wild.

And that's why you tend to see paintings and such as the most frequent form of artwork when the brain kicks into gear. None of the long-term focus required for story telling, the paintings are good for those bursts of output.

Especially compared to the work method i was using for Masks. Rather obviously, i'm working with 3D models for reference (Who can afford human models?) Fortunately, by that point i'd been doing 3D modelling and rendering for a couple of decades. That helped tremendously for putting some life into the models...

From the render...

...to finished art...

By the way, for those of you inking at home...
This image in the files is worth noting. I always used vector based programs for my inking, for the simple reason shown here -

Flash is actually surprisingly decent in this regard. It started life as a natural media emulator before diverging and growing into what it became. But those roots are still there, and actually rather good once one gets past the defaults.

So, moving along...
While parts are still missing, i have found the first few pages in my digging. Here's a look at how it would have opened (following a brief prologue with Blanco and Jade Sifu in the Spirit Realms)...

Okay - at this point we'll have to step into the back room at The Other Voice Of Odd. Here's a direct link to the companion post (which also contains some other bits and tidbits).

However, despite initial appearances, nothing happens between them. She teaches him the technique for massaging the gungliax cluster (useful later), which he adapts to readily without realizing the pleasure stimulation it gives her as a side effect. Meowria, aroused, comes on to him while naked, but our poor virgin freaks and bails at high speed.

Outside, he has a Por Dios! moment, before starting on his way. Crossing the shanty town sprawl, Juan passes an old woman, Senora Lopez, who scolds him for STILL not eating enough, urging him to come in and sit down at the table. He explains that he can't - he needs to go find and pay Jorge. She gives him a quick tamale & horchata to take with him...

(Yes, Senora Lopez's mask has animatronic features, like blinking eyes and moving mouth)

That's the most complete version of page 6 I've found so far. From there, he heads over to eat under the wizard's Cactus Tower - the odd yellow structure we see in the promo image from this morning's post:

...then things start to get strange, as often happens around wizards. (Okay, carloads of killer clowns may not be typical wizard fare)

Worlds still build in my head, but i no longer have any expectations of others getting to visit. At least not in any depth. Perhaps some short stories, paintings, or game bits to give windows through which to view.

But, at least it rarely gets lonely being a hermit. There's plenty of company in here.

(Okay - they might be a little angry at me for not letting them out to play)

stuff by -3- for Masks (2010)

Never, Ever, Get Tattooed While Drunk And Crossdressing.

What's your favorite word to describe the current potus? (One of the only times you'll see me use that as a word. Since it sounds like a rude bodily function, it works here.)

Come on, folks. Break out those vocabularies!

FLIBBERTIGIBBET! 

BRUMMAGEM!

SNOLLYGOSTER! 

Show me what you got. 

Meanwhile, i've been rummaging through the past as old geezers getting senile tend to do; pulling files from old hard drives stashed in dark corners of the cave. I think i'm gonna dump some of it here so i won't lose 'em. Again. 

It's an assortment of old works, like some t-shirt designs -

I already ran the Jesus Saves! (And He Keeps Archived Back-Ups) design in a previous post, right? I think so. If not, it can always run later. That one's still in my wardrobe.

Some odd little fake movie posters, most of which were results of Warren Ellis's old remake challenges. Good fun, they were -

This one is nigh on 20 years old now - from way back when the younger son was barely starting his acting/comedy career -

And, no - despite basing the 'movie''s storyline on the Mayan calendar ending, that's not something i believed. I knew full well that there was a 'second page' to the calendar which continues right along from the end of the first. But it made a good movie set-up.

Some fairly random bits...

Hmm...   actually, i think that one came from one of Ellis's challenges, too.

This one's turn of the century -

Some guy...

A very different guy...

...and an only slightly even more different guy...

That one was contest prize from the old webcomic. The winner requested the subject matter.

There was another old webcomic called Who's Line Is It Anyhoo?, in which other webcomic creators stepped up to, in this case, answer the question of How Did The Dinosaurs Die Out?

Since i was, at the time, the 'star' of my comic, i appear herein to solve the mystery. They're tall strips, so the system tends to over-shrink them. You'll need to click on 'em if you actually want to read along. I should perhaps warn you that my strip was a bit surreal, a bit mad, y'know...

And a few bits of ink work/play, though i could never decide on several bits for this first one, not even how much white space i wanted to leave in the end...

Okay. Let's call that a post.

I twice participated in 24 Hour Comic Day. Once resulted in a piece of crap about which i can barely remember anything. The other turned out quite nice, and i'm still rather pleased with how it came out, even if there were unfinished bits (like the Raven was apparently albino since i didn't have time to ink the blacks) So far, i've found a small 500 pixel wide version of the pages. Hopefully, further digging will uncover larger images, and we'll see it here before long.

Okay. Let's call that a post-post teaser.
I'm going to go park my body and take off for a while.

Oh, yeah. Those are indeed real words up there at the top. Look 'em up!

Night!

art & stuff by -3- (1999-2014)

Hermit Ramblings

My head's been scattered lately, and postings have been light, as you may have noticed. I think i'm just going to ramble for a bit today. Maybe that'll empty out some of the clutter, eh?

To everybody wanting to pressure Sony to let Spider-Man play in the MCU:
Why are you pressuring Sony instead of Disney?
Disney seems to be the ones trying to grab all the money - as is their SOP*. I get that you love Spidey - me, too. But look close at what damage you're willing to cause, and what price you're likely to pay in the long term. Are you being used as a villain's bitch? Have you taken the time to try to find out what the actual driving issues are before jumping into the fray?
Learn what a "Useful Idiot" is, and try to avoid being in that position.

*(SOP = Standard Operating Procedure. Like remaking all those animated movies because they don't have to pay the original creators again so they can suck up more cash. (Animated movies aren't protected by the same laws as live-action films) Like forcing theatre owners to operate at a loss for the right to show their films while preventing them from showing the competition. (And only ONE theatre in the entire nation has the courage and integrity to stand up and call them thieves the first time. So it got worse. It's now to the point where it feels like an immoral act to go to see a Disney movie in the theatres.) And give it a year, at best, before they're witholding scenes to add in for re-releases to gobble more bucks. That pattern of 'God Corp.' behaviour ("Grab It All - Own It All - Drain It All") makes it highly likely the big D is using the public to give it to Sony.

Don't be the D.)

Well, i guess maybe Krypton might actually be a fairly decent show. I hadn't even considered looking at it. I've got a long standing policy of avoiding Syfy channel, which is a terrible shame given how greatly i celebrated the birth of the SciFi channel. (Changing their name to avoid confusion with actual scifi was their best move)
It's not that they never make a good show, you see. It's that if a show is good, they'll cancel it. It's a solidly established pattern, so no reason to watch their programming. It'll either suck or be taken away.
They canceled Krypton, ergo...

Old geezer hermit's getting cranky, eh? Lightening up, and speaking of comic book television...

...you might have already guessed that i rather enjoy that one. Also...

...though i have yet to watch Season 6. Waiting until after i see Spider-Man: Far From Home since that's likely to heavily impact the series; perhaps as much as Captain America: Winter Soldier did.


You know what we need? A campaign to Make America Great Again -

Remember back when politicians had to work to avoid even "the appearance of impropriety"? Now admission of sexual assault or conviction of a felony isn't an impediment to public office. 
Let's Make America Great Again! Make crime a crime for politicians again.

Remember back in the middle of the 20th century when the average CEO made what about 50 of his average employees earned? Now they tend towards what 500-1000 or more would earn, essentially stealing the wages of hundreds of employees to feed their addiction. 
Let's Make America Great Again! Cap executive salaries relative to employees.

You can see how this works, right? It's fun - give it a try.



The Best Thing about the current political situation in the USA?
I never again have to listen to a self-righteous Republican go on about how they're the 'party of morality' and try to seize the high moral ground. Now i can cut them off, laugh at them, and call bullshit. They embraced a "man" that they had said was absolutely immoral as soon as that would give them power and money. That's not moral superiority. That's whoring, plain and simple. But without the ethical standing of a working prostitute. (Do please note that not all Republicans are "Self-Righteous Republicans")


Hmm...
That 'lightening up' didn't last too long, did it?


Why are people upset that another country tried (is trying) to buy our elections? The Supreme Court put our elections up for sale with the Citizen's United decision. You'd have to be an idiot to not expect people trying to buy it beyond the ones you're to whom you're selling it. Especially after our government announced, post-911, that it was stepping up their efforts to buy elections and distort news media in other countries. You may not remember, but be assured that folks in those other countries recall it just fine. Go ahead and get upset, but at the right people. Be upset and angry at the people who put our country up for sale. Wanting to buy a fixer-upper is a natural impulse if you've got the cash for it.
Let's Make America Great Again! Get the money out of politics - including the ridiculous practice of campaigning for office many months and years before the elections instead of, you know - actually Doing The Damn Job you're trying to buy your way into!
Of course - actively colluding with foreign parties (regardless of the country) working to purchase our government is another thing entirely. I think it's called 'Treason'...?

 

Hey!
How many of you have participated in anti-American activities?
Are you sure?
Ever pee in a cup to get a job? That's anti-American to the core. That's "Guilty Until Proven Innocent", and one of the biggest tools that was used to make Americans more subservient to authority. Three decades later, it's amazing what the average citizen will accept.

 

Well.
That was a smidge of bitter ramble, non?
I'll try to go in a different direction next time.

I guess after all that, i should show you some comics, eh?

Here ya go -

 

 page art by George Metzger from Gothic Blimp Works #7 (1969)
ramblings from the hermit -3- (2019)